Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..

EAT24 App Bust

By Michele Costanza…bringing you a humorous view on consumer topics in an all-too-serious world

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Mother’s Day is not for cooking, and DEFINITELY not for cleaning. So what’s a girl in pajamas to do, but order delivery? But if you’re as sick of pizza as the rest of us, then it’s time to check out some new apps that make life infinitely simpler by delivering what you want, on demand.

Unfortunately, my first foray into these new services was a bust. EAT24, which sounds so dang good, was a big disappointment. I downloaded the app for my iPhone (from their advertisement on my Facebook wall, which is really annoying, but clearly effective) and this is what happened:

I opened the app, and immediately loved the interface. It knows where you are and instantly finds available restaurants close by. Each listing clearly states the minimum purchase, delivery fee (if it has one), type of food, rating on Yelp, and distance away.

Simple. I searched through the multitude of options available, and decided that North Shore Hawaiian BBQ sounded good, and began the straightforward ordering process. However, the user-friendly aspect ended the second I finished filling my cart and moved to check out. It sent me to a page to Select Your Address with a drop-down menu of addresses. The problem was that I didn’t have ANY addresses listed. And this is where the page froze until I closed the entire app from my iPhone homepage, and started again, and again, and again. If you need to sign up and enter information before using the app, it should automatically direct users to do this, rather than have them go through the entire ordering process only to be thwarted in the end.

So I tried a different route, and went to User Account first, thinking I could enter in the info before going to check out, but then I was given an Error message. Clearly, there are some kinks to work out on this one. The normal process should allow the user to order then enter account information upon check out on the initial use (or at any point during the process). Three strikes and you’re out, so no Hawaiian BBQ.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..